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Post by jamie on Nov 26, 2008 20:37:26 GMT -5
Can we talk feed please?  If I take the free OTTB mare that has been given to me (see post in general horse)...I have to decide what to feed her. I have no idea what grain she's on now (I will find out). I have fed my horses Vintage Victory in the past. She is 8, going on 9. I plan to take it real slow with her at first, then do low level dressage and hunter work. She appears to be in good health, although her coat is a bit dull. She has spunk in her. I don't want to put her on grain that will make her hyper at all lol. She hasn't had any non-racing training and she was raced approx. 5 years ago. Thanks in advance! |
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Post by TeachU2Ride on Nov 27, 2008 9:21:03 GMT -5
Stay away from anything that has molasses in the top six ingredients. Corn shouldn't be higher than No. 4, if in there at all. Look for beet pulp, rice bran, alfalfa meal, whole oats at the top of the list. As with most animal feeds, if it sounds like you wouldn't want to eat it even if you were starving, it's probably not good for your horse, either!
Good quality forage is the most important part of a horse's diet. An excellent hay, fed free-choice, is also the best way to add weight without adding too much energy.
Worming with a Panacur PowerPac (five double doses of fenbendazole over five days) can be really beneficial, too.
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Post by jamie on Nov 27, 2008 18:54:10 GMT -5
Thank you TeachU2Ride!! I appreciate it!
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Post by tbjumper514 on Dec 9, 2008 18:42:46 GMT -5
With our slim feed selections in my area, find decent feed is difficult. But, I have had a lot of success with Nutrena SafeChoice(and of course, lots of hay). It is a pellet, and my OTTBs don't get hyper on it at all. They really like it, I find it puts weight on them and I don't have to feed huge amounts of it to do so. Good luck with her if you get her!
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Post by alisonph on Dec 10, 2008 7:51:13 GMT -5
Stay away from anything that has molasses in the top six ingredients. Corn shouldn't be higher than No. 4, if in there at all. Look for beet pulp, rice bran, alfalfa meal, whole oats at the top of the list. I agree with label reading to find out what is in the feed, but livestock feed manufacturers are not required to put the ingredients in order of quantity in the mix. For example, if molasses is first and oats are last on the list it does not mean there is more molasses than oats in the bag. This type of labelling is done to protect the recipe integrity of the feed company. Generally speaking forage and grain ingredients are listed before minerals. As others have said, forages are most important. Hay, beet pulp, alfalfa cubes, etc will work wonders to keep a lightly working horse in good condition. There's a great book called "Morrison's Feeds and Feeding" which is an OLD book, generally only found used on eBay or Amazon. It has the basics of feeding all types of livestock. I balanced my ration based on recommendations from this book and it works well. Mine do wonderfully on 30# hay and 6# of oats daily. They also have access to free choice mineral and salt. One carries a kid around every once in a while and the other is my foxhunter. Now, the Hunt horse just got some alfalfa cubes to his diet as he tends to get thin in Jan and Feb. if he's working hard. |
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